Friday, October 23, 2009
CentMail - Only Half a Solution
It's a good idea, you pay CentMail 1 cent (you buy in bulk ahead of time), and you get to send an email, with the charity that the cent is going to proudly displayed. The penny goes to charity, and people receiving your email know that it isn't spam, because spammers would never spend a penny on an email.
Unfortunately it will never take off, because to do so, it will need more people onboard than what are willing to pay for email, today. In the long-term it could gain traction as people's attitudes change, but by then it might be forgotten about. It might also have a chance if all email providers join in, but I doubt Hotmail and Gmail will adopt a Yahoo initiative.
It also fails to recognise that quasi-spam, emails from businesses and services that you have used in the past, that kept sending you crap, won't mind paying 1c.
What would work is my old idea - pay 5c to send email, but get a credit each time you receive one. Most people email back and forth to their friends, and the model works out very well for everyone. Read more about my solution to end spam.
Unfortunately it will never take off, because to do so, it will need more people onboard than what are willing to pay for email, today. In the long-term it could gain traction as people's attitudes change, but by then it might be forgotten about. It might also have a chance if all email providers join in, but I doubt Hotmail and Gmail will adopt a Yahoo initiative.
It also fails to recognise that quasi-spam, emails from businesses and services that you have used in the past, that kept sending you crap, won't mind paying 1c.
What would work is my old idea - pay 5c to send email, but get a credit each time you receive one. Most people email back and forth to their friends, and the model works out very well for everyone. Read more about my solution to end spam.
Labels: spam solution
